From the Principal’s Desk
Nga mihi nui kia koutou katoa. Welcome to the the Westland High School May newsletter.
E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā karangatanga maha, tēnā koutou katoa. Warm greetings to you all.
Students are the life and heart of our school and it has been so heartwarming to have their presence back. The chat, the laughter, the screeching and the yelling are what makes our school a special place, and the many smiling faces.
With everyone being back at school it is fair to say we all came back with a mixture of emotions, anxiety, joy and trepidation. I am impressed with the resilience shown by our students and staff as the teaching and learning programmes have recommenced. The support from the community too, has been tremendous.
This weekend is also a well-earned break for everyone, the rigours of online teaching for approximately 6 weeks have simply exhausted many students and staff alike, so this weekend take the time to reflect, enjoy time with family, go to the beach or lakes, walk, cycle, run, fish, hunt,, read or sleep in… but do have a relaxing weekend.
Staffing
We welcome the following staff to Westland High School;
We unfortunately farewell Sue Pooley. Sue has been a part of our school for a number of years and has been based in Te Whare Atawhai. She has been a wonderful support for the staff and students alike and we will miss her calm, gentle presence around the school.
Mrs Jenny Pizey - Learning Support Coordinator. Jenny will be known to many in the community and we welcome Jenny back to take a role working across the school to support students with a range of learning and social needs.
Mrs Yvette Krohn - English Teacher. Yvette joins us from Nelson and has a substantial background teaching English as well as extensive experience working for the Ministry of Education.
Miss Kiana Gallon has been appointed to the position of Sports Hub Administrator and will commence in January 2020, congratulations Kiana. In the interim, Mrs Jane Brownie will cover the sports hub and coordination role until Kiana arrives home from England.
Reminder - No school Friday
School finishes on Thursday this week to coincide with the Queens birthday holiday on Monday. We have an extended long weekend.
Uniform
We were intending to have by now a warm, weather proof school jacket (optional) available for students to purchase, however, this has been delayed due to the lockdown period. We are now in a position to restart the process. We have not at this stage put a timeframe on when the jacket may be available as there is still uncertainty around supply.
Westland High School - Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees would like to acknowledge and thank Mr Murray and all of the teachers and staff at Westland High School for your efforts over the past 10 weeks as we navigate the changes and challenges of COVID-19 and what this has meant for all of us. We are impressed with the adaptability of our staff and determination shown to deliver high quality, engaging learning opportunities for our students using digital technologies.
If the past several weeks have shown us anything, it is that learning is ubiquitous. It can happen anywhere and anytime. This has highlighted again to our school and our school community the importance of our “Learn, Create, Share” pedagogy. The work of our staff over the past three years to embed this approach throughout all teaching programmes provided an advantage to our kura and removed a significant barrier to learning for our students.
The Board appreciates the personal challenges that many of you have overcome during lockdown and extend our sincere appreciation for what you have done and what you will continue to do, to ensure we experience success together.
One of our strategic intents is to develop leaders at all levels, including in the governance of the school. Over the past year the Board has been working on establishing meaningful succession planning as a deliberate consideration in everything that we do. During the past year the Board has been working to develop capability within our team. The Board now believes that timing is right to activate the next stage of our succession plan. At the Board Meeting on Monday, Latham Martin retired from the role of Board Chair. The Board has elected Dave Ritchie to lead the Board as the school embarks on its next stage of change and development. Dave has been a member of the Board of Trustees for 3 years and has served as Deputy Chair for the past year. Latham will continue as a Trustee on the Board for the next two years.
The Board is confident that the future of our school is bright, and we thank you for the part you play in ensuring that it is.
Term Dates for the remaining 2020 year
- Term 2 Wednesday 15th April to Friday 3rd July
- Term 3 Monday 20th July to Friday 25th September
- Term 4 Monday 12th October to Wednesday 11th December
**NZQA and NCEA
Examination dates for NCEA examinations have changed due to Covid-19. The new commencement and finish dates are:
- NCEA Start Monday 16th November
- NCEA Finish Wednesday 6th December
Further information regarding the exam schedule can be found in the NCEA newsletter article.
Guidance Councillor
Fiona Lauder our School guidance counsellor is available to talk with students during normal school hours. To make an appointment to talk with Fiona email her on fionalauder@westlandhigh.school.nz, Fiona will get back to you with a time to talk. All conversations with Fiona are held in the strictest confidence.
Ngā mihi nui
Iain Murray
Principal